Latch



LATCH Fl. July 8, 1925 L.. A. DEXTER @Hmmm Parental Nev. 1o, 1925.

UNIT-D STAT-Es i' LUCIEN A. DEXTER, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

Laren,

Application led July 8,l 1925. Serial No. 42,2180.

- To all 'whom 'it may Concern.' y

' of said door.

vention is Lto providea latch which is of Be it known that I, LUoiEN'A. DEXTER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented .v

certain new and useful Improvements in Latches; and l do hereby declare the Jiol-l lowing. to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable` others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and useA the same.

- This invention relates to latches adapted for ready application to doors, the present latch being adapted when made in different sizes for application to screen doors, cupboards or kitchen cabinets and to larger doors, such as the doors of houses and the like. lt is a primary object andl purpose of the present invention to construct a latch which can be very easily installed, requiring merely the boring of a cylindricalv hole in the edge ot the door anda transverse cylindrical opening through the door so as to cut across the opening bored in the edge A 'further object of the insimple structure, very easily formed and assembled and which in service is particularly durable and efficient.

'lo these ends and` to others which will later appear as understanding is had ot the invention l Ihave constructed the latch described -in the 'following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

' Fig. 1 is a of the door showing the latch installed therein, portions of the latch being shown in horizontal section and others in plan.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the door at the place of application ot the latch,

the latch barrel being shown in longitudinal vertical section.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, the interior mechanism of the latch shown in side elevation 1n Fig. 2, being shown 1nV vertical section in Fig. 3, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective vView of the latch bolt.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawing.A

ln the construction of the latch an outside casing or barrel 1 open at one end and completely closed by an end 2 at its'inner end is provided, the same being preferably horizontal section at the edge is properly formed and rolled into cylindriy cal shape, the front end 4 thereof being ot' cylindrical form from which spaced apart parallel narrow upper and lower sides 5 eX- tend lto the rear and connect with the rear cylindrical section 6 which, at its inner end and at its upper and lower sides, is formed i with triangular projections, indicated atf. "Within the cylindrical rear portion 6 a plug 8 ris located, its front endbeing Jformed into a wedge 9 lying lbetween the triangular projections 7 previously described. The plug is formed with an integral rear extension 10 of smaller diameter than the plug 8. The plug 8' is permanently'secured within the cylindrical portion 6 by indentations 11 made in the opposed sides of said part 6 and pressed into suitable openings made in the sides of the plug as shown in Fig. 3.

At the front end of the latch bolt a strike 12 of cylindrical form having the same diameter as the part 4 is located, its `outer end beingv beveledto make an inclined cam strike surface 18. rlFhe strike 12 is reduced vinthe part 14 similar in all vrespects to the method by which the plug 8 is secured in place. rlhe latch bolt thus made is designed to be inserted in the open outer end of the casing 1, a coiled spring 16 being located at the inner end of the casing and against the closed endQ-'thereof at one end, its opposite end bearing against the plug 8 and being located around the smaller projectionl() eX- tendingl therefrom.

`The housing l with the bolt and spring therein is designed to be inserted in a cylindrical opening bored in the edge of the door l). The operating member for the bolt comprises a bar 17 substantially square in cross section at each end to which knobs 18 are` detachably secured, there being the usual escutcheons 19 disposed between the sides of the door and the ends of the knobs. Prior to the insertion of the latch housing with the bolt andspring therein a second opening 2O circular in form is bored transversely through the door cutting across the opening in which the housing 1 is to be placed.

.j Then.` by pressing inwardly on the end of the latch bolt to compress the spring the operating member 17 may be passed through the openings 3 in the housing and through dicated at 21, the outer side being semi-c1r cular and the inner side substantially V- shape as shown to correspond with the form of the wedge 9 which normally seats against the inner side of the trough under pressure of the spring 16. It is, of course, apparent that one of the knobs 18 is removed from the operating member 17, while this assembly is taking place, being attached after the assembly is' complete.

In the operation of the latch the spring' 16 normally forces the same outward to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the wedge 9 of the plug 8 and the triangular projections 7 of the latch bolt seating against the inner V-shaped side ofthe operating member. When the door is closed the cam side 13 at the end of the latch bolt riding against a suitable strike plate acts to force the bolt inwardly against the spring 16 until the opening in the strike plate, common with latches, is reached whereupon the spring forces the bolt outwardly into engaging position with the strike plate. To open the door it is necessary merely to grasp one of the knobs 18 and turn the same in either direction.. This causes a retraction of the boltto the position shown in Fig. 3, or until the end of the part 10 comes against the closed end 2 of the latch housing, spring 16 ing compressed so that it is located wholly around the .part 10. When this cxtreme inward movement has been reached by the latch bolt the wedge 9 of the plug 8 at its end and the ends of the triangular projections 7 extend a short distance inward from the rear side of the circular openings 3 in the housing 1, thereby making a positive stop against any further turning movement of the operating member. The wedge, be? ing solid entirely across the bolt, is very durable and irrespective of how much force may be applied to the 'operating member 17 there is no danger of cutting oil' the projecting end of the wedge so as to destroy its effectiveness as a stop. `This is particu-V larl desirable inasmuch as the operating Vmember. 17 for ractical purposes must be made of iron and if the Ysame comes against a weak stop member of soft material,such as brass, there is present a liability, that the stop member will eventuallybe destroyed by the operating member when the same is forcefully actuated.,

The construction described is very simple,

vof all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim: 1. A latch comprising, a tubular housing having a closedend, a latch bolt s lidably mounted in the housing provided with an opening therethrough, said bolt at the inner end of said opening being formed with a forwardly projecting portion, and at its inner end having a reduced extensionprojecting toward the closed end ofthe housing, a spring disposed between the closed end of the housing and the end of the latch bolt around said extension, and an operating member passing ltransversely through the housing and latch bolt formedvwith means to engage said forwardly. projecting portion of the latch bolt and thereby move the bolt inwardly until said extension engages against the closed end of the housing. v

2. A latch comprising, a tubular housing having a closed inner end, a latch bolt slidably mounted in the'housing, said latch bolt being formed with an intermediate tubular section having openings cut therethrough in opposite sides, a strike member secured in the outer end of said tubular section, and a plug secured in the inner end of said tubular section, said plug at its front end being formed into wedge shape and at'its rear end with a reduced extension projecting beyond the end of said tubular section, a spring located between the end of the latch bolt and the closed end of the housing around said extension, and an operating member extending transversely through the housing and the openings in the latch bolt, said operating member being formed with a portion against which the wedge portion of the plug engages and shaped in substantial conformity with said wedge portion, substantially as described.

3. A latch comprising a tubular housing having a closed end and formed with circular openings inopposite sides thereof between (its ends, a latch bolt having an elongated opening therethrough slidably mounted in the housing, spring means normally llO forcing the latch bolt outward, an operating member extending through the openings in said housing and latch bolt, said operating member and latch bolt having interengaging means whereby'the bolt is moved inwardly on rotation of the operating member in either direction, and means on the latch bolt adapted to engage with the closed end` of the housing when moved inwardly a pre-y determined distance, whereby said interengaging means on the latch bolt engaging with the operating member serves as a stop to prevent further rotation of the operating member, substantially-as described. l

el.. In a latch, a tubular housing open at one end and having a closed inner end, said housing having openings in opposite sides, a latch bolt formed with an elongated opening therethrough and at the inner end of said opening having a wedge-shaped por` tion extending into said opening, said latch bolt being also formed with a reduced extension at its inner end extending toward the closed end of the housing, a spring between the end of the latch bolt and closed end of the housing, an operating member extending transversely through the opening in the housing and latch bolt and formed with means. to engage said wedge portion 'v whereby on rotation of the latch member in either direction the latch bolt will be rctracted until the end of the said extension engages against the closed end of the housing, said wedge portion projecting partly into theplane ofthe openings through the housing and serving as a stop against further rotation of the operating member.

5. A latch bolt of the character described comprising, a tubular section having portions cut away to make openings at its upper and lower sides and having triangularshaped projections extending forward into said openings, a cylindrical strike member having a beveled outer end fixed in one end of the tubular member, a plug fixed in the other end of the tubular member and formed at one end with a wedge portion'lying between said triangular projections and at its opposite end with a cylindrical extension of reduced diameter which extends beyond the end of said tubular member, substantially as described.

ln testimony whereof I allix'my signature.

LUCIEN A. DEXTER. 

